Printing-machine.



T. GOSSAR.

PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION nun 11:10.6, 1911.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

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T. GOSSAR.

PRINTING MACHINE.

AIPLIOATIOH FILED D120. 6, 1011.

1,020, 1 90, Patented Man. 12, 1912.

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lllllllllllIlHlllllllll lllllll-lllilll INvENr'oR THOMAS COSSAR Amrrg COLUMB'IA PLANOGRAPH COUWASHINUTON. D. C.

T. COSSAR.

PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 6, 1911.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

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INYENTOR Tuoms COEISAR Attornf Wrrusssss NLUIIIA WRAP" 00., WASHING'MN. D- C THOMAS COSSAR, 0F OTLEY, ENGLAND.

PRINTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 6, 1911.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Serial No. 664,267.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS Cossxn, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Otley, Yorkshire, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Printing-h/lachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to flat-bed web printing machines with stationary type beds, and it consists in the combination of elements hereinafter particularly described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1. is a longitudinal vertical section and F :ig. 2 is a cross section of a flat bed web printing machine constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 3 is a like view to Fig. 1 showing a modification. Figs. 4- and 5 are elevations at right angles to each other showing a further modification.

Referring to the drawings, the impression cylinder or cylinders A of which there may be one, two, three or more, are preferably jonrnaled in and carried by endless chains B the path of which they follow, being caused to roll over the type form C, when engaged by the lower stretches of the chains. Each cylinder A is provided with gear wheels D, one at each end, which mesh with stationary continuous racks E extending around the track of the gear wheels, the length of the racks and the diameter of the cylinder being preferably proportioned so that the type form will pitch exactly on the same parts of the cylinder or cylinders at each impression.

The cylinders A may be provided at each end with a bearer 1"corresponding in diameter to the pitch line of the cylinder gear wheels, which bearer rolls against a bearer G, corresponding to the pitch line of the internally toothed curved ends of the continuous racks E for the purpose of taking the strain due to reversal of the cylinders and for preventing the gears on the cylinder or cylinders from meshing too deeply with the teeth in the curved ends of the racks E.

The chains B are passed around end sprocket wheels H the spindles of which are carried in bearings I in a suitable framing J, the spindles being positioned beyond the extremities of the type forms C to in sure that the form will come within the straight stretches of the chains. The form of type is preferably carried by a movable bed K titted over the usual stationary bed L to permit of racking out or moving out the form toward one end or either end of the machine for convenience of access to the type. The stationary bed L is firmly fixed to the side frames of the machine.

Journaled on the spindle ends of the imprcssion cylinders A are slide blocks M (Figs. 1 and 5) which bear up against the lower horizontal face of a fixed impression rail N during the traverse of the cylinder over the type-bed to take the upward pressure of the impression of the type, while said blocks slide on the upper surface of the rail N on the return travel to prevent downward sag of the chains B and to support the weight of the cylinder. These slide blocks M may each be provided with an adjustable wedge or eccentric bush 0 (Fig. 4) or the like to increase or decrease the distance between the sliding surface of the block and the axis of the cylinder shaft, so that the impression of one cylinder may be adjusted independently of the others when a plurality of cylinders are employed.

Fixed cam-shaped or like parts P (Figs. 1 and 5) may he provided, said parts extending a suitable distance around the curved ends of the track for the slide blocks M and bearing against suitable projections or bowls Q on each end of the slide blocks to assist in guiding said blocks around curved ends of said track and to cause them to disengage and reengage with the impression rail N in proper manner. Bowls R journaled on the cylinder spindles may be used to take the impression instead of these slide blocks M, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The impression rail N may be made integral with the framing J or be bolted thereto.

lVhile one cylinder A is traversing the type bed, the other is on the return travel when two impression cylinders are used,

one cylinder moving upward around the sprocket wheels H at one end, while the other is moving downward around the sprocket wheels at the other and so balancing the drive.

Another pair of continuously running endless chains S (Figs. 1 and 52) passing around end sprocket wheels T is provided beneath the chains B, the upper stretches of the chains S extending above the type bed L and the lower stretches of the said chains S extending beneath the stationary type bed. The chains S carry the inking rollers U and also carry suitably mounted web-supporting rods or rollers V for purposes hereinafter referred to. The sprocket wheels T are carried on spindles suitably mounted in the framing of the machine and are geared through suitable spur gearing, such as the spur wheels \V, X, Figs. 1 and 2, with the wheels carrying the impression cylinder chains, the two sets of chains B, S, being preferably geared so that they run normally at the same speed. One or other of the lower chain wheel spindles may also be geared through suitable spur gearing, c. 9., through the spur wheel W and pinion Y, to the main driving shaft Z of the machine. The inking rolls U are so spaced on the chains S that, when the said chains are driven, said rollers roll over the form 0 between the impression cylinders A, and thereafter following the course of their carrying chains, roll downward around one end of the stationary bed L and backward beneath the bed and upward and around the other end of said bed. The underside of the stationary bed is preferably constructed to form an ink distributing surface L over which the inking rollers U roll during their travel, ink being supplied from an ink fountain a by a ductor roller Z) to the said surface in any well-known manner. The inking rollers U work this supply into a finely divided and even film as they roll along the distributing surface L of the stationary bed, then pass up and around one end of the stationary bed and roll over the type which is thus effectively inked. A set of inking rollers is preferably provided for each impression cylinder, and each set of rollers may consist of two, three or four rollers according to the quality of inking desired.

The web supporting rollers V are journaled in brackets V carried by the chains S and are so spaced and arranged that when the machine is in operation they come say one midway between the first impression cylinder A and the following set of inking rollers U and another between these inking rollers U and the second impression cylinder, one between this second cylinder and the following set of inking rollers, and one between these second mentioned inking rollers and the first impression cylinder. When more than two cylinders are used, the sets of inking rollers and web supporting rollers are preferably correspondingly increased in number. The object of these web supporting rollers is to support the length of web extending from one cylinder to the other clear of the type and inking rollers, as hereinafter described.

The reel of paper 0 is journaled in the usual manner in suitable brackets at the feeding in end of the machine and the web 0 is drawn therefrom by a continuously running feeding device (Z of any well known construction adapted to pull the web from the reel at a suilicient speed to supply the requisite length of sheet for each copy printed. P

At each end of the main framing J there are provided guide rollers and looping rollers 6 over which the web is looped. The looping rollers are actuated in known manner by suitable cams f and link and lever connections f to take up a certain amount of web fed in by the continuously running feeding in device during the passage of a cylinder over the type and feed it forward when that cylinder is clear of the type to provide sufficient web for one printing before the following cylinder comes into printing contact with the form and also to feed in suflicient web to allow for the extra web required when an impression cylinder deflects the course of the web in the descent of the cylinder to the type at one stant speed as the feeding in device feeds it in.

The web from the feeding in device is looped over the first looper roller 6 and thence passes over the web supporting rollers V carried by the chains S and under an impression cylinder Asupposing this cylinder to be at or near the center of its printing strokeover the web supporting roller V on the other side of the impression cylinder and around the second looper roller 6 and thence to the feeding out device and to a second. printing apparatus for perfecting the sheet or printing in another color or to a folder, re-reeler or other device.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows. Assuming that the machine is one with two impression cylinders A, as shown, and that the first impression cylinder is descending around the sprocket wheels H at the feeding in end of the machine. As it .continues to descend to the form C, it engages the paper web 0 and deflects it from its straight course through the machine from the first looper roller 6 to the second looper roller until it is pressed downward to the type form, the first looper roller supplying enough web to provide for the amount partially looped in by the descent of the cylinder. The web 0 is now supported at the first end by a looper roller 6 and a guide roller, and thence it extends downward in a slanting direction underneath the impression cylinder A and thence upward in a slanting direction and over a web supporting roller V, and thence in a normally horizontal direction to the second looper roller 6 and to the feeding out device 9. The cylinder A continuing to travel rolls over the type and impresses the paper thereon in the usual manner, the type having been inked by the set of inking rollers U driven in advance of the impression cylinder by the chains S. As the cylinder continues to roll, the web supporting roller V following it ascends around the sprocket wheels T from beneath that end of the type bed adjacent the feeding-in end of the machine and engages in its ascent with the underside of the web to hold it up normally level with the looper-rollers e and clear of the type and the following second set of inking rollers U. On continued forward movement of the cylinder this second set of inking rollers U passes around the chain wheels from the underside of the bed, and following said set of inking rollers, but in advance of the second impression cylinder, another web supporting roller also ascends and engages with the underside of the web. The web supporting rollers and inking rollers which are in advance of the first cylinder descend around the chain wheels T at the feeding-0ut end of the machine as they reach that position, the web then extending upward in a slanting direction directly from the bottom side of the impression cylinder to the second looping roller, and as the cylinder continues its course and after completing its horizontal travel is carried up and around the chain wheels 'I-I adjacent the feeding-out end of the machine the second looper is actuated by its cam to take up the amount of slack thus caused by the cylinder rising off the web. While the cylinder is in printing contact with the type, the first looper is actuated to take up the amount of web fed in by the continuously running feeding-in device (Z while the second looper allows a corresponding amount to be fed out to the feeding-out device, and when the cylinder has completely traversed the type and before the second cylinder comes into printing contact with the type the looper rollers are actuated to feed the web forward so that when the second cylinder comes into printing contact with the type there will be suflicient unprinted web in front of it to provide for one printing. The second impression cylinder A rolls over the form C and impresses this unprinted length of web on the type which has been inked by the second set of inking rollers which traverse the form between the first and second impression cylinders, the web being supported clear of the inking rollers U by the websupporting rollers V in front of and behind these inking rollers. The looping rollers e are similarly actuated for the second impression cylinder to provide sutiicient web for the loop formed by the cylinder between the supporting rollers in front of and behind it and to take up the web fed in by the continuously running feeding-in device (Z while the cylinder is in printing contact with the form and feed forward sufficient web to provide for one impression in front of the first impression cylinder when it again comes into printing contact with the form, and to take up the slack which would be caused by the rising of the cylinder when it has completed its printing travel and ascends around the chain wheels H at the feeding-out end of the machine.

In a modification, Fig. 3, more particularly for use when more than two impression cylinders are used, web looping rollers h are carried in brackets 2' or the like extending from and connected to the chains B, between the impression cylinders A of which three are shown connected to the chains B. These rollers h are so spaced as to inter-mesh with the web supporting rollers V carried by the chains S. In the operation of the machine, the said web looping rollers it move downward and around the sprocket wheels II at the feeding-in end of the machine, and engage with the upper side of the web and depress it between the adjacent web supporting rollers V, thus looping in a certain proportion of the web. Any convenient number of weblooping rollers it may be employed, the web supporting rollers V carried by the chains S being preferably increased in number to correspond with the number of said rollers h, which rollers h are so spaced and positioned that in the operation of the machine they will loop in sufficient web between any one cylinder and the following one, so that enough white web for one impression will be provided in front of each cylinder as it starts the printing portion of its travel. The inter-meshing and consequent looping action of these rollers h and the web-supporting rollers V will cause the web to be pulled in at one end of the machine at a normally constant speed and to be paid out at the other end of the machine at a nor mally constant speed. The cam-actuated looping rollers e at each end of the machine will require only to be actuated to even up any irregularity in the pull of the web caused by the intermeshing action of the two sets of rollers and to allow for the descent and ascent of the cylinders at each end of their travel. By means of this ar rangement of web-looping and web-supporting rollers, the impression cylinders A may be multiplied and brought so closely together that one cylinder may have commenced the printing portion of its travel and be on the type before the preceding cylinder has finished the printing portion of its travel and is off the type, the inter meshing of the chain supported looping rollers h and the web-supporting rollers V having looped in sufiicient web to supply the second cylinder with white paper for its impression. With this arrangement, it may happen that there will always be one impression cylinder on the type and consequently it would not be practicable to rack out or move out the movable bed K to either end for convenience of access to the type C, owing to the said type C being in contact with the cylinder. In this case a wedge 2' or like device is preferably fitted between the stationary bed L and the movable bed K. By actuation of this wedge 2' or the like, as by means of a rocking lever j and link 76, the movable bed K may be lowered to a certain extent out of contact with the cylinders, whereupon the bed K can be racked out or moved out Without difficulty. This wedge device may of course also be used to adjust the impression.

Having now described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is z- 1. A web printing machine comprising, in combination, a stationary flat bed, a type form, an impression cylinder, means for im parting to said cylinder a translatory movement in a closed pat-h during part of which movement it contacts with said type form,

means for rotating the cylinder, said means comprising rack and pinion devices, web- 7 supporting means, inking rollers, means for imparting to said web-supporting means and said inking rollers a translatory movement in a closed path extending partly above and partly below the said bed, and devices adapted to operate in unison the means for imparting translatory movement to the impression cylinder and the means for imparting translatory movement to the web-supporting means and the inking rollers.

2. A web printing machine comprising, in combination, a stationary fiat bed, a movable bed fitted over the stationary flat bed, a type form carried by said movable bed, an impression cylinder, means for imparting to said cylinder a translatory movement in a closed path during part of which movement it contacts with said type form, means for rotating the cylinder, said means comprising rack and pinion devices, web-supporting means, inking rollers, means for imparting to said websupporting means and said inking rollers a translatory movement in a closed path extending partly above and partly below the said beds, and devices adapted to operate in unison the means for imparting translatory movement to the impression cylinder and the means for imparting translatory movement to the web-supporting means and the inking rollers.

3. A web-printing machine comprising, in combination, a stationary flat bed the underside of which afiords an ink distributing surface, a type form, an impression cylinder, means for imparting to said cylinder 21 translatory movement in a closed path during part of which movement it contacts with said type form, means for rotating the cylinder, said means comprising rack and pin ion devices, web-supporting means, inking rollers, means for imparting to said websupporting means and said inking rollers a translatory movement in a closed path extending partly above and partly below the said bed, and devices adapted to operate in unison the means for imparting translatory movement to the impression cylinder and the means for imparting translatory movement to the web-supporting means and the inking rollers.

at. A web printing machine comprising, in combination, a stationary flat bed, a type form, an impression cylinder, means for imparting to said cylinder a translatory movement in a closed path during part 01' which movement it contacts with said type form, means for rotating the cylinder, said means comprising rack and pinion devices, weblooping rollers connected to the means for imparting translatory movement to the impression cylinder, web-supporting means, inking rollers, means for imparting to said web-supporting means and said inking rollers a translatory movement in a closed path extending partly above and partly below the said bed, and devices adapted to operate in unison the means for imparting translatory movement to the impression cylinder and the means for imparting translatory movement to the web-supporting means and the inking rollers.

5. A web-printing machine comprising, in combination, a stationary fiat bed, a movable bed fitted over said stationary fiat bed, a wedge device interposed between said stationary flat bed and said movable bed, a type form carried by said movable bed, an impression cylinder, means for imparting to said cylinder a translatory movement in a,

closed path during part of which movement it contacts with said type form, means for rotating the cylinder, said means comprising rack and pinion devices, web-supporting means, inking rollers, means for imparting to said Web-supporting means and said inking rollers 21 translatory movement in a closed path extending partly above and partly below the said beds, and devices adapted to operate in unison the means for imparting translatory movement to the impression cylinder and the means for imparting translator-y movement to the Web-sup- 10 porting means and the inking rollers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

THOMAS GOSSAR.

WVitnesses:

JOHN TRAILL STEVENSON, VVALLACE ORANSTON F AIRWEATHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

